1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing an improved glyceride product by interesterification with lipase.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Interesterification and hydrogenation are techniques which have been useful in the preparation of glyceride products for use in the manufacture of butter and margarine. In the conventional interesterification reaction, interesterification is conducted in the presence of a catalyst such as sodium, sodium methylate, or the like. However, the conventional reaction is not selective with respect to esterification of a fatty acid substrate at a reactive position with glycerine. On the other hand, an interesterification process conducted in the presence of lipase as a catalyst (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 104506/1977) is know, however, this process requires the presence of water to activate the lipase. The presence of water causes hydrolysis of interesterified glycerides with resultant decreases in yield of the glyceride product. Therefore, a need continues to exist for a method of improving the yield of glyceride products by an interesterification reaction.